A plan for an entirely new village on Skye was given the unanimous support of councillors yesterday, paving the way for 93 new homes in one of the most picturesque areas in Scotland.
The new community will be built on a 40-acre site around the existing Sabhal Mor Ostaig Gaelic college at Kilbeg, which is part of a 20,000-acre estate on the Sleat peninsula in the south of the island. Clan Donald Lands Trust, a charity committed to preserving Gaelic culture, also plans new enterprise units as well as expanded teaching and accommodation facilities for the college. There will also be green space for the development of sporting facilities, a conference centre, a sports pavilion, a shop and, eventually, a care home.
Sir Ian Macdonald, the charity’s chairman, said: “We are highly conscious, as custodians of this estate, that Kilbeg sits in one of the most scenic locations in Scotland and, therefore, any development undertaken on this site has to be of the highest quality and reflect the trust’s own central ambition to preserve the historic lands of Clan Donald for the benefit of all clansmen and those interested in Highland culture throughout the world.
“However, the village will be a 21st-century dynamic hub offering first-class education facilities, modern enterprise units, state-of-the-art capabilities for ICT and digital media, with environmentally-sustainable, quality housing.”
“We believe it will be populated by a thriving, vibrant community.”
He added: “The masterplan has adroitly achieved the marriage of two often conflicting aims – rural conservation and progressive development, and the trust is delighted with it.”
He went on to express gratitude to groups which given their support. “We wish to thank Sleat Community Trust, Sleat Community Council and the local community for their participation in all of the community consultation meetings and their emphatic support for the village,” he said.
More than 1,000 students are undertaking further and higher education studies at the college, which is part of the new University of the Highlands and Islands. It has changed the whole demographic profile of the south of Skye, bucking the trend of population decline in the Highlands and providing a catalyst for the new development, according to the Clan Donald trust.
The plan was approved by councillors at the Ross, Skye and Lochaber Planning Applications committee at Portree.